25 Jul

Women’s basketball to face South Carolina in Big 12/SEC Challenge

The Texas women's basketball team will host three-time defending SEC champion South Carolina in this season's Big 12/SEC Challenge (photo courtesy of texassports.com).

By Steve Lansdale

AUSTIN, Texas — The University of Texas women’s basketball team will host three-time defending Southeastern Conference champion and 2015 NCAA Final Four participant South Carolina Dec. 1 at the Frank Erwin Center as part of the 2016 Big 12/SEC Women’s Basketball Challenge, the university announced Monday.

Every team in each of the two leagues will compete in the challenge, making this year the first in which Big 12 and SEC teams will play 10 games. The games will be played as home games for five teams in each conference. Half of the contests feature at least one team that was ranked in the final 2015-16 USA Today coaches’ poll, while three will feature matchups between teams that both were in the final top 25.

Times and television designation will be released when available.

In their game against the Gamecocks, the Longhorns will be trying to win for the third time in as many games in the Big 12/SEC Challenge; UT beat Texas A&M in 2014 and Arkansas in 2015. Texas has won both previous meetings with South Carolina.

Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby said that the series will help showcase the league’s talent to basketball fans nationwide.